The 25 Best Cigars of the Year 2011

Punch Double Corona

Cuban double coronas went through an inconsistent period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Today, they are superb, rivaling their days of glory before the modern-day cigar boom. The stately size, measuring 7 5/8 inches long with a ring gauge of 49, is known as a prominente in Cuban cigar factories. Double coronas are cigars that should never be rushed, something to be lit only when you are going to be free of interruptions and can truly enjoy all that they have to offer.

The mother factory for Cuba’s Punch brand is La Corona, a cigar factory located near Havana’s largest baseball stadium. The factory has a tasting room where workers come in every morning, sit at a small desk, and light up, filling out forms to ensure the previous day’s production tastes as it should.

Quality control of this nature—along with a less rushed atmosphere in which to make cigars, more draw testing in the factory and better tobacco—are among the reasons that Punch Double Coronas are so delicious to smoke.

They build in flavor and complexity. First you will taste the coffee, then dark fruits and some vanilla, then nuts, then more. Complexity, balance, power—the Punch Double has it all. The cigars also age beautifully, only adding to their allure.